1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to medical devices and, more particularly, to fiber optic tips for delivering electromagnetic radiation.
2. Description of the Related Art
Fiber optics have existed in the prior art for delivering electromagnetic radiation. Radiation delivery systems are typically used to transport electromagnetic radiation from electromagnetic energy sources to treatment sites. One common radiation delivery system can comprise a cylindrically-shaped fiber optic tip from which electromagnetic radiation is emitted in a direction toward the treatment site.
In certain applications, radiation delivery systems can be engineered to generate predetermined beam shapes and spatial energy distributions. The energy distribution of a simple delivery system, comprising a fiber optic tip, can be described as having a circular illumination area, with a so-called Gaussian distribution of beam intensities being spatially distributed within the output beam pattern or illuminated area. For instance, the output beam pattern from a fiber optic tip can comprise a central high-intensity area or “hot spot” surrounded by peripheral areas of lower intensity.
Regarding energy distributions, some beam profiling applications can require or would be optimized with radiation delivery systems capable of generating illumination distributions that vary across parts or all of the illumination area surrounding the output of the radiation delivery system. Moreover, it may also be desirable to generate non-circular illumination areas, or to generate electromagnetic radiation having predetermined energy distributions across a non-planar illumination area. Use of laser radiation having a relatively uniform power distribution over a particularly shaped area can be a practical task for multiple medical applications.